Environmental Sustainability

The Bush Theatre is committed to promoting environmental sustainability in everything we do.

Our Statement

Wherever possible, we try to commit to the highest standards of sustainable operation in our activities and to minimise the impact of our activities on the environment. We endeavour to continually improve our environmental performance, and aim to achieve standards that exceed minimum levels required by legislation and general codes of practice.

Some of our aims:

To conserve natural resources such as energy, water, wood, paper, especially where those resources are non-renewable, wherever possible.

To use recycled or refurbished materials where possible to reduce waste, especially to landfill.

To use existing and recorded data to calculate the venue’s annual carbon footprint, and disseminate this information to the public.

To ensure that products are sourced from sustainable environments.

To maintain fair pressure upon suppliers to develop environmentally friendly goods and services.

To inform, train and motivate staff to work in an environmentally responsible manner.

To promote the use of public transport, both for employees and audiences.

To communicate our goals to contractors, and other non-employees working on site.

Key achievements include:

Agreement of partnership with Good Energy, a 100% renewable electricity supplier, to support the Bush’s environmental sustainability plan.

Participation in the London Theatre Consortium/ Julie’s Bicycle Sustainability Project, which started in 2010 and comprises a three-year commitment to address the environmental impacts of arts organisations. This programme was nominated for a prestigious Observer Ethical Award 2015.

Receipt of Three Star Industry Green Award (the highest possible rating) for the second year in a row recognising a commitment to understand, improve and communicate carbon and environmental impacts.

Installation of new boilers enabling us to more efficiently heat our building.

Completion of phase 1 of our building refurbishment, with much of the interior recycled or home made from materials found on site. (Eagle-eyed visitors might notice the salvaged doors that form our bar, our upcycled chairs, or the wall paper fashioned from old scripts.)

Award of waste disposal contract to First Mile, meaning that 0% of our waste now goes to landfill.

Use of 100% recycled paper approved by the Woodland Trust for all office printing.

Inclusion of a sustainability commitment in all staff job descriptions.